Barren

CHAPTER NINETEEN

  When they approached the heavy doors that sealed off the bridge within the wreck of the Panspermia, Jesse instinctively tensed up as the pair of automated turrets quickly descended from the ceiling and trained on them. Mackenzie had warned him this would happen, but it was no less intimidating when two large gun barrels were pointing at your face.

  "Facial recognition inoperable," SALINA's calm, synthetic, voice announced. "Security protocols are active. Do not move or you will be fired upon. State your names and your primary objectives."

  Scylla stood to the side, away from SALINA's kill-zone outside the doors, watching closely with suspicious eyes as Mackenzie responded.

  "It's me, SALINA," Mackenzie began, hoping that SALINA was still willing to play dumb. "Mackenzie Miller. I was here yesterday?"

  Only silence greeted Mackenzie, which she took as a sign SALINA had remembered what was asked of her. Holding back a sigh of relief so that Scylla wouldn't see, Mackenzie swallowed her nerves and spoke to SALINA again.

  "I'm Mackenzie Miller," she said loudly. "This is my, er, friend. Jesse Greaves. We're here to enter the bridge and find some important files that are stored inside."

  SALINA was silent as she seemed to consider this information, just the same as she had done the previous day. Then she said, "Mackenzie Miller. Place your hand on the scanner beside you. Prepare for genetic confirmation."

  Mackenzie did as she was told. She watched the green lights scan her palm, then flinched as the sudden, sharp, needle-prick of pain stabbed into her. Just like last time though, when Mackenzie looked, there was no damage to her hand.

  "Genetic identity confirmed," SALINA recited. "Mackenzie Miller, you may enter with colleague, Jesse Greaves."

  As the bridge doors began to open, Mackenzie grabbed Jesse by the arm and dragged him towards the entrance, not wanting to waste a single second. How much time had already passed? Five minutes? Ten? How long before that little girl was destroyed?

  "Mackenzie," Scylla called out in a sing-song voice once Mackenzie and Jesse were on the bridge.

  Turning back, Mackenzie saw Scylla standing outside the entrance as the doors were beginning to slowly close. Scylla fixed Mackenzie with a cold glare, but she was smiling. It was a cruel smile, as though she gained some sort of pleasure at seeing Mackenzie's distress. As Mackenzie met her eyes, Scylla tapped her wrist pointedly.

  "Clock's ticking, Mackenzie," Scylla said, still smiling. "Don't forget."

  Then the doors closed, separating them both.

  "Start looking around!" Mackenzie immediately cried at Jesse. "Find a tablet, a flash drive, anything we can download a lot of information to!"

  "On it," Jesse nodded, then hurried to the nearest workstation to search for what they needed.

  Mackenzie rushed to the Captain's chair and tapped the screen, bringing it to life.

  "May I be of any assistance?" SALINA asked monotonously.

  "I need that file again," Mackenzie said quickly. "The one Scylla wants."

  The screen in front of Mackenzie instantly began to navigate itself, opening a folder that was buried within a dozen other folders. Behind her, she could hear Jesse tearing through drawers and storage cabinets, flinging contents to the floor as he searched as quickly as possible for what they needed. Mackenzie opened the file and began scanning the pages as fast as she could, looking for something important enough that Scylla couldn't use the rest of the information without it, but small enough for Mackenzie to commit to memory.

  "There's nothing here!" Jesse shouted, racing from one workstation to the next.

  "Perhaps," SALINA began, "this search would go smoother if you asked for my assistance. Unless your goal is to simply make a mess, in which case you are succeeding well enough on your own."

  Mackenzie swore she heard sarcasm in SALINA's tone.

  "We need something to store data on," Mackenzie told SALINA. "I've got Scylla's tablet, but we need information for ourselves. Is there a tablet or something like Scylla's on the bridge that we could use?"

  "I'm afraid that when Scylla first accessed the bridge, portable data storage systems like what you are asking for were the first things she collected," SALINA replied.

  "Shit," Jesse spat.

  "Indeed," SALINA agreed.

  "What do we do now?" Mackenzie groaned.

  "We just have to go on without it," Jesse shrugged. "What else can we do? If we don't get back to Scylla soon, that kid is dead."

  "Dammit," Mackenzie sighed under her breath.

  "There is an alternative," SALINA suddenly said.

  "There is?" Mackenzie asked, surprised and hopeful. "What is it?"

  "Though there are no longer any devices like what you are asking for aboard this ship," SALINA began, "you may still be able to carry the information contained in the bridge terminals with you. The hard drive for the Captain's terminal is easily removable and can be reconnected to almost any device. This is a security parameter in the event of a mutiny or hostile takeover, so the Captain could remove and protect or destroy any confidential data contained in the database."

  "And could we take the hard drive with us?" Mackenzie asked excitedly. "How big is it?"

  "It is not large," SALINA said. "No bigger than a pencil. Should you choose, you can easily disguise it within your clothes. Shall I eject the hard drive for you?"

  "Not yet," Mackenzie said quickly, feeling an enormous wave of relief wash over her. Then, holding up Scylla's tablet, she asked, "First, can you download information from the ship's database to this tablet?"

  "Of course," SALINA replied.

  "Is there anything you can leave out?" Jesse asked Mackenzie, stepping up beside her to look down at the screen full of information.

  "I don't know," Mackenzie said, feeling hopelessly lost while looking at the pages and pages of data. "I mean, it's all really complex stuff. This is super advanced theoretical physics by the look of it, way over my head."

  "What about this?" Jesse asked, pointing. "That makes absolutely no sense to me, so it's probably important."

  Mackenzie read the section where Jesse was pointing, frowning as she did so. As far as she was concerned, it was all nonsensical gibberish.

  "The concept of operation dictates departure followed by distance d, following the strict metric of..." Mackenzie read, and then trailed off as a series of numbers, letters, and symbols followed, but the sequence wasn't particularly long. Mackenzie took a moment to examine the sequence.

  ds² = -dt² + (dx - vsf (rs) dt)² + dy² + dz²

 

  Smiling with renewed hope, Mackenzie said, "Strict, huh? That sounds important. We can probably hold this over Scylla's head."

  "Probably is better than where we were ten seconds ago," Jesse nodded. "Do it."

  "I just hope it's something important enough to Scylla to keep us alive long enough to escape," Mackenzie said.

  "Your plan is to escape?" SALINA asked, sounding somewhat surprised.

  "Yeah," Jesse replied. "It's too dangerous for us here."

  "That much is certain," SALINA agreed. "However, you may find it difficult to get out of your cells."

  "Huh?" Jesse frowned. "How do you know we were in cells?"

  "I have full access to systems on board the Panspermia evacuation shuttles," SALINA explained. "Though separated, they are still a part of the ship and maintaining them is naturally within the parameters of my programming. I have observed you being held in confinement via security cameras."

  "You can access Scylla's systems?" Jesse repeated. "Hmm..."

  "What's up?" Mackenzie asked.

  "SALINA," Jesse began, looking around the room as though he expected SALINA to appear in human form. "Can you search any records that Scylla has on file?"

  "Of course," SALINA replied. "All computer terminals on evacuation shuttles are within the range of my parameters."

  "Do you think you could find a specific file?" Jesse asked. "Something that specifie
s the locations of water deposits and rivers?"

  "That is within my capabilities," SALINA confirmed. "But only Mackenzie Miller has authorization to give me a command."

  Jesse turned and looked down at Mackenzie, a smile playing on his lips. Mackenzie smiled back and nodded, understanding what Jesse was suggesting.

  "Okay," Mackenzie said. "SALINA, find that file. Then download it to the Captain's hard drive."

  "Right away, Mackenzie," SALINA responded. Then, an instant later, "File located. Commencing download."

  "Wow," Mackenzie said, impressed. "That was fast."

  "It was my understanding that you are in a hurry, Mackenzie," SALINA replied.

  Gasping, Mackenzie remembered the child being held under the barrel of a gun that would utterly destroy her if Mackenzie and Jesse took too long.

  "How long have we been here?" Mackenzie asked hurriedly.

  "Precisely eleven minutes," SALINA said at once.

  "We don't have much time by now," Jesse said grimly. "We better pick up the pace. So what do we do about this math thing?"

  "Might I make a suggestion?" SALINA interjected. "Perhaps if you would read the sequence aloud, I can retain the data for you. If it is leverage you hope to use it for, then you can use the information to bargain your freedom, should escape be too dangerous. You may tell Scylla that once you are beyond her reach, I can share the data with her, once I have your verbal authority."

  Mackenzie and Jesse glanced at one another, stunned. Jesse shrugged at Mackenzie, who nodded.

  "Sounds like a plan, SALINA," she said. "Here's the sequence."

  Mackenzie read the sequence to SALINA, had her read it back to make sure it was correct, then deleted the sequence from the file, ensuring the only place anyone could ever find it now was within SALINA's memory. Mackenzie then asked SALINA to copy the incomplete file to Scylla's tablet, which she did immediately via the wireless network all of Scylla's equipment ran on.

  "How will I let you know when to give the information to Scylla?" Mackenzie asked.

  "If we ever do," Jesse said, folding his arms over his chest. "We could just let SALINA hold on to it forever."

  "You may decide later what you wish to do," SALINA said. "I can intercept most radio transmissions, even from many miles away. If you speak into a radio on almost any frequency once you are away from this place, then I will hear it. But the more pressing concern right now is the young female Scylla has hostage. I have just overheard a radio transmission between two soldiers who are discussing whether or not you will make it back in time to stop her from being 'blown apart.' I suggest you take the hard drive and go. Now."

  A panel suddenly opened in the arm of the Captain's chair, in which Mackenzie was sitting, and a long, flat, object rose out. Looking at it, Mackenzie thought it looked like a particularly long flash drive, but didn't waste any more time examining it. She snatched it out of its cradle and leaped to her feet, stuffing the hard drive into the waistline of her pants.

  "Thanks, SALINA," Mackenzie said. "I hope we see you again."

  "I hope so too, Mackenzie Miller," SALINA replied.

  Mackenzie and Jesse both bolted out the doors, which closed steadily behind them. Neither one of them was certain how much time they had left, but they weren't going to waste a single second more.

  They both exploded out of the ship wreckage into the sunlight, Mackenzie waving Scylla's tablet in the air as she shouted, "WE'VE GOT IT! DON'T SHOOT, WE'VE GOT IT!"

  Scylla was standing beside the truck that held the thunder gun, grinning at Mackenzie like a hyena. The little girl was still on her knees in front of the gun, crying hysterically. Mackenzie ran faster at the sight of her, still waving the tablet around.

  "We did it!" she cried. "Don't shoot her, I got what you wanted! It's here! Let her go!"

  Mackenzie and Jesse stopped in front of Scylla, both breathing heavily. All eyes, including those of the little girl, were on them.

  "Give it," Scylla said simply, holding out her hand for the tablet.

  Mackenzie handed it over and watched as Scylla began examining the file. Scylla's smile only grew larger and more predatory as she read.

  "Yes," Scylla whispered. "This is it. It's all here! Finally!"

  "Are you letting the girl go or what?" Jesse growled.

  "Why should I?" Scylla replied sweetly.

  "We had a deal!" Mackenzie roared. "We made it back in time! You don't have to kill her!"

  "No, I suppose not," Scylla admitted. Then, speaking over her shoulder to the men around her, "Let her go."

  Two soldiers dragged the sobbing girl to her feet, cut the restraints around her wrists, then shoved her back towards her parents, who cried with relief, hugging her tightly, then hurried away together before Scylla could change her mind.

  "It's done," Mackenzie said forcefully to Scylla, bringing her attention back to her and Jesse. "You got what you wanted. Now we get to go free. That was the deal."

  "Of course you're right," Scylla said, still smiling her falsely sweet smile. "I did promise your freedom."

  "So how about it?" Jesse growled.

  "I'm nothing if not a woman of my word," Scylla said. Then she turned to Boroslav and said, "Shoot them both in the head."

  "What!?" Mackenzie shrieked angrily.

  Boroslav was grinning widely as he pulled out his sidearm and began to raise it towards Mackenzie and Jesse, looking between them both as he tried to decide who to shoot first.

  "You said you'd let us go!" Mackenzie shouted.

  "Death is the only true freedom we have," Scylla leered, examining the tablet in her hands.

  "If you kill us, you'll never get the metric!" Mackenzie yelled.

  "Stop!" Scylla suddenly roared at Boroslav, just as he was about to pull the trigger.

  Scylla glared dubiously at Mackenzie and took several slow, deliberate, steps towards her.

  "What metric?" Scylla hissed.

  "Take a closer look at those documents," Jesse replied. "It's not exactly complete."

  "I knew you were lying," Mackenzie scowled, glaring at Scylla with disgust. "I knew you'd kill me as soon as you got those files. So I took a little leverage. There was an equation of some kind in that file, something about a strict metric. I deleted it."

  "You did what?" Scylla fumed, every word hissed like a venomous snake.

  Scylla turned away from Mackenzie and began flipping through the pages of the file, searching for something. Mackenzie knew when she found it, because her whole body tensed with the wrathful fury that fought to escape. Scylla's grip tightened on the tablet to the point where her knuckles turned white and Mackenzie wondered if she might break the device in her hands. Scylla whirled around to face Mackenzie again, her teeth bared in a vicious snarl, her eyes narrowed and glinting with malice.

  "Where is it?" Scylla whispered with untold rage. "Where is the metric?"

  "SALINA has it," Mackenzie said sweetly.

  "You left it with that defective machine?" Scylla growled.

  "She's not defective," Mackenzie replied. "I just let you think she was. Once my friends and I are safely away from here, I'll contact SALINA by radio and tell her to give you the missing equation."

  "You'll have her give it to me now," Scylla snapped.

  "What, so you can shoot me right after?" Mackenzie frowned. "Not gonna happen."

  Scylla moved quickly, reaching behind her back and pulling out a pistol. She levelled it at Mackenzie's face, so close that Mackenzie was able to see into the barrel.

  "Give me the metric," Scylla said dangerously. "Or I'll-"

  "You'll what?" Jesse snapped. "Kill Mackenzie? That would prove you're as stupid as you are psychotic. Mackenzie's the only one SALINA takes orders from. If you kill her, you'll never get that metric you want so bad."

  Scylla bared her teeth at Jesse and the gun twitched in her hand, as though she longed to turn it on him and pull the trigger.

  "There is one other
person SALINA will listen to," Scylla replied, her snarl turning into a hint of a smile. "I could just kill you now and have him get me the metric."

  Mackenzie was confused for a moment, then realized Scylla was talking about her father, Joseph Miller. He had placed the genetic seal on the bridge, SALINA took orders from him previously. It stood to reason that if Joseph came back, SALINA would be under his command again.

  "Maybe," Mackenzie conceded. "But how helpful do you think my father will be when he finds out you murdered his daughter? He might have been okay with trading a life with you once, but I doubt he'd be so happy when that life is his own daughter's."

  Jesse glanced sideways at Mackenzie, uncertain of what she meant, but Scylla scowled again, knowing Mackenzie was right. Snarling, Scylla turned her gaze, and her gun, on Jesse.

  "Give me the metric," Scylla demanded. "Or I kill this one."

  "You kill him and you'll never have it," Mackenzie snapped confidently, though her heart lurched in fear when the gun turned on Jesse. "You can kill him, all my friends, every single person around us, but I won't give you the damn metric if you so much as hurt a single one of them."

  "Give me the metric!" Scylla screamed insanely in Mackenzie's face, taking the gun away from Jesse and pressing the barrel under Mackenzie's chin. "Give it to me! Give me the metric now!"

  Mackenzie was momentarily stunned by Scylla's outburst, shocked by her wild eyes and the spit that flew from her mouth.

  "Scylla," Boroslav interrupted, speaking calmly as he eyed Scylla warily, as though worried by her outburst. "Let me handle her. I can make her cooperate. Just give me one day alone with her."

  "You're not going anywhere with Mackenzie," Jesse snarled, automatically stepping between Boroslav and Mackenzie, glaring at Boroslav defiantly.

  "Oh, but he is," Scylla hissed, lowering her gun as a poisonous grin broke out on her face. "You will regret this, Miller. Just like your father will regret betraying me. First you will give me that metric, then I'll send your father a video file of all the nasty things Mikhail is going to do to you. Mikhail, take them back. Put Miller in one of our special cells. Make her friend watch the interrogation."

  Boroslav grinned straight at Mackenzie, a sadistic gleam in his eyes, while Vasilii stood nearby, beginning to giggle.

  Looking at Mackenzie, Vasilii said in a sing-song voice, "You're in trou-ble!" before laughing louder and louder.

  Boroslav pulled out his gun and pressed it into Mackenzie's spine. Then he whispered in her ear, "Get on the VTOL. Now."

  "Why should I?" Mackenzie snapped. She knew she needed to go back to Scylla's base to break out the others, but she didn't want to make it look that way. She needed to put up a fight.

  Without saying a word in reply, Boroslav turned his gun away from Mackenzie and, without even looking, fired one round into Jesse's leg. Jesse yelled out in pain and fell to the ground, clutching the bloody hole in his thigh. He clamped his jaw shut to stop from screaming, but the agony he felt was evident on his face as he gritted his teeth and groaned in mixed pain and fury. Mackenzie looked at him in horror, then turned back to Boroslav's impassive face.

  "I won't kill either of you," Boroslav said calmly. "But you will wish I had. Get on the VTOL. Now."

  Feeling horrible about Jesse's leg, worried about him dying, Mackenzie reached down and helped him to his feet. He hobbled as he walked with her towards the VTOL, keeping as much weight off his leg as possible, still gritting his teeth with every step. Boroslav kept pace behind them, keeping the gun trained on their backs while Vasilii followed along excitedly. Scylla watched them go, choosing to remain behind for the time-being, glaring daggers at Mackenzie.

  "I'm so sorry," Mackenzie whispered to Jesse. "I didn't know he'd do that."

  "I did," Jesse grimaced. "Don't worry about it. One of us was going to get hurt, better me than you, right?"

  "Will you be okay?" Mackenzie asked, glancing down at the bullet wound.

  "It went straight through," Jesse said. "I'll be fine."

  "No talking!" Boroslav barked.

  "He's bleeding!" Mackenzie snapped.

  "You should be more worried about yourself, pretty one," Boroslav leered, his canine tooth poking through his cleft lip.

  Boroslav forced Mackenzie and Jesse up the stairs into the VTOL, where they took their seats and strapped in. Jesse then ripped the sleeve off his long-sleeve shirt and used the fabric to craft a tourniquet for his leg. The wound was still bloody, but it looked like the bleeding at least slowed. Boroslav and Vasilii sat opposite Mackenzie and Jesse. Vasilii was bouncing in his seat with excitement, while Boroslav was grinning at Mackenzie in a way that made her feel vulnerable and exposed. Like she was standing naked before him. The thought made her feel sick.

  "You might want to reconsider giving Scylla that metric," Boroslav leered. Then, shrugging, he added, "Or not. You will give it to her one way or another, but my way is more fun."

  Then the VTOL lifted into the air and began speeding away towards the shuttle Scylla called home. Mackenzie prayed the next step of her plan would go smoother than the first.

  Before she ended up in a room with Boroslav.